The Whole Story: A Life in God's Kingdom, Part FourSample

Family Devotional:

Today, we begin reading the book of Leviticus – the third book of both the Old Testament and the Pentateuch. All too often, Leviticus is skimmed over as it can be viewed as merely an outline of the sacrificial systems of Israel. In reality, the book is deeply rooted in practicality and a description of the incredible character of God. We will begin our journey in Leviticus with a devotional reading from the Torah Portions, the weekly reading plan of the Messianic community. It reads as follows:

“The title ‘Leviticus’ is derived from the Greek Septuagint (LXX) version of the Torah. The book of Leviticus is predominantly concerned with Levitical rituals. An older Hebrew name for the book was ‘The Laws of the Priesthood,’ but in Judaism today, it is referred to by the name Vayikra (ויקרא), which means ‘And He called.’ Vayikra is the first Hebrew word of the book, which begins by saying, ‘And the LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from inside the tent of meeting’ (Leviticus 1:1).

Leviticus describes the sacrificial service and the duties of the priests. It also introduces ritual purity, the biblical diet, the calendar of appointed times, laws of holiness and laws relating to redemption, vows and tithes. In addition, Leviticus discourses on ethical instruction and holiness. The twenty-fourth reading from the Torah is eponymous with the Hebrew name of the book it introduces: Vayikra. This portion introduces the sacrificial service and describes five different types of sacrifices.”

Daily Demonstration:

As we begin our journey through the book of Leviticus, take some time today to gain as much context for the book as you can. On today’s plan, you will find a BibleProject video that will introduce you to many of the themes and backgrounds of Leviticus. From there, consider beginning to listen to Dr. Michael Heiser’s Naked Bible Podcast specific to the book of Leviticus. This will be a great companion podcast as you read through the text in the following weeks.

Additional Resources:

• The Naked Bible Podcast, Michael Heiser, Leviticus
• Torah Portions, Messianic Reading Plan, (Website: https://torahportions.ffoz.org/#horizontalTab2)